The motorcycle, the bicycle and some other vehicles have long been steered by a pair of handlebars with handgrips joined by a central section of the handlebar which is secured to the front fork of the vehicle. Typically, the handlebars are formed from a single tube of tubular steel, bent in a generally steerhorn or other suitable shape to provide a pair of handgrips. The central straight section is secured to the front fork assembly by a gooseneck support or other type of assembly with visible fasteners. Often the central portion of the handlebar has an enlarged section with rolled grooves to engage the gooseneck and prevent unwanted rotation in the gooseneck. Sometimes, the handlebar assembly is made up of two separate handlebars with a third piece interconnecting the handlebars. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,322 to Meng-liang Wu on Apr. 6, 1993 is an example of handlebars for cycles, which includes a gooseneck mount, an enlarged grooved engagement portion and two separate handlebars with an interconnection.
The gooseneck and its hardware including a bolt detracts from the appearance of the handlebar assembly and results in all of the stress on the handlebars being localized at the short interconnection with the gooseneck. This localized stress can result in a fracture of the handlebar and possible serious injury to the rider.
The handlebars also perform another function in addition to steering the cycle. The handgrip areas are almost universally used for mounting controls including electrical switches for operating lights, horns and directional signals. The manual operating controls such as throttles and brakes usually have external cables; however, the electrical switches, which usually have relatively fragile wires often have their insulated wires protected by running through the interior of the handlebar tube from the handgrip regions and must exit the handlebar somewhere near the gooseneck. At that position, movement of the wires is limited, but there remains a danger of fraying the insulation as they exit the handlebar and some movement since they usually do not exit directly on the axis of rotation of the front fork. A better arrangement for protection of electrical wires in the cycle handlebars is needed.